Conyers: Public Option is an Essential Component of Health Care Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman John Conyers, Jr., released the following statement this morning applauding the President's decision to press the case for health care reform in a speech to a joint session of Congress this week. Conyers reiterated that it is absolutely necessary that a robust public health insurance option be included in the final version of any health care reform legislation.

"I want to applaud the President for taking decisive action this week to end the stalemate to reform our broken health care system," said Conyers. "It is my hope that his speech tomorrow night will inspire Members of the House and Senate to place the needs of the American people above petty bickering and partisan obstructionism."

"It is clear that real reform means injecting real competition into the insurance market to improve affordability and drive down health care costs. The centerpiece of this reform is a robust Medicare-like public health insurance plan tied to the Medicare provider system. Like many of my colleagues in both the House and Senate, I will oppose any health care reform bill that lacks such a plan. I will also oppose any legislation that seeks to replace a robust public health insurance option with health care cooperatives or which ties the availability of the public option to a trigger mechanism. In this effort, I stand in solidarity with House progressives, the majority of my friends in organized labor, millions of health care providers, and 72 percent of the American people.

"Boosting the profits of the health insurance industry without fundamentally changing the way they do business would be nothing but sham reform. I believe Congress can and will reject calls for such half measures and will include a robust public option in any legislation that reaches the President's desk later this year.

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